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Nigerian president Tinubu under pressure to avoid war with northern neighbor Niger

By Camille Malpat with Aminu Abubakar in Kano, Nigeria: Political leaders in Nigeria are urging President Bola Tinubu to reconsider a threatened military intervention against junta leaders in neighbouring Niger, ahead of a Sunday deadline to reinstate the country's...

Nigeria grapples with end of fuel subsidy

By Alexandre Martins Lopes: Nigerians are struggling with surging fuel prices after newly elected President Bola Tinubu declared an end to popular subsidies, a move analysts and experts said was long overdue. On his first day in office, Tinubu kept to his campaign...

Nigeria: Bandits raid six villages in north, kill 30 civilians

Armed men killed 30 people in weekend raids on six villages in Nigeria's north, a region regularly hit by criminal violence and clashes between communities, local police have said. The bloodshed is the latest outbreak of inter-communal violence which the country's...

Nigeria: ISWAP ambushes army unit, kills several soldiers

Several Nigerian soldiers died in an attack on a military convoy in the Lake Chad region by jihadist fighters aligned with the Islamic State group, security forces said Tuesday. The convoy was hit by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)...

Nigeria: Cash-strapped Boko Haram kidnaps herders for ransom

Boko Haram jihadists have kidnapped 30 ethnic Fulani herders near northeast Nigeria's Lake Chad, demanding ransom for their release, fishermen and the head of an anti-jihadist militia told AFP Tuesday. The militants in eight boats stormed the fishing and herding...

Boat capsizes in Lagos, several casualties

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Posted On 1 August 2020

Lagos, Aug 1, 2020 – Ten people were killed, five rescued and four others went missing when a passenger boat capsized in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, a government agency said on Saturday. The boat was heading to Badagry from the Kirikiri area of the city late Wednesday when it sank in heavy currents, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) said in a statement. “A total of 19 persons were involved in the incident; five were rescued with 10 persons confirmed dead and four passengers still unaccounted for,” the agency said. It said most of the passengers were not wearing life jackets, contrary to maritime safety regulations.

“LASWA has apprehended the boat captain and has handed him over to marine police for further investigation and sanctions,” it said. “The emergency and regulatory authorities are still on a search and rescue operation,” it added. Boat accidents are common in Nigeria because of over-loading, disregard of safety guidelines, lack of maintenance and bad weather. Last month, dozens of passengers were killed when their overcrowded boat capsized in the central Benue state. A day earlier, seven people had died in Ikorodu, outside Lagos, when their boat sank following heavy rains.

AFP

Nigerian army drone hits village in Kaduna State, kills civilians

By Aminu Abubakar with Laurie Churchman in Abuja: An army drone strike accidentally hit a village in northwestern Nigeria killing dozens of civilians celebrating a Muslim festival, local authorities, the military and residents said on Monday. Nigeria's armed forces...

Nigeria’s election runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, files appeal over election challenge

The runner-up in Nigeria's presidential election in February on Tuesday filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling rejecting a challenge to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's election victory. Opposition parties had claimed various irregularities, from...